Food Network personality Ted Allen is promoting the Dining Out for Life program.

KALAMAZOO -- Staff members of a local HIV/AIDS organization are raising money through the Dining Out for Life program for the first time this year, and they have eight local restaurants and a TV celebrity helping them out.

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

The following restaurants will participate in Dining Out for Life on April 30, giving 25 percent of their revenues from either part of the day or the whole day to Community AIDS Resource and Education Services (CARES):

Food Network personality Ted Allen -- the national spokesperson for Dining Out for Life -- gave an interview to the Kalamazoo Gazette recently to tout the program helping HIV/AIDS service providers. He said he agreed to take on the role of national spokesperson because chefs and restaurateurs do so much to help charities in their communities.

"My partner and I are involved in a few different organizations, but I like Dining Out for Life," said Allen, who first became famous as the food and wine specialist on the TV show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." "The restaurant industry is close to my heart. They are always the first people to step up when a charity organization needs a gift certificate or to do a charity event."

Dining Out for Life asks restaurants to donate a portion of their proceeds to the HIV/AIDS cause one day of the year. In Kalamazoo, the donation day will be April 30.

Each of the eight participating area restaurants will donate 25 percent of their sales that day to Dining Out for Life, said Amy Bartell, director of operations for Community AIDS Resource and Education Services (CARES). CARES is the local organization that will receive the money.

CARES has offices in Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor and serves 11 counties in southwestern Michigan. Its mission is to reduce the transmission of HIV and improve the lives of individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS.

Kalamazoo is one of five new cities in the nation to participate in Dining Out for Life this year. A total of 55 cities are involved.

"It allows everyday people to make a contribution to the fight against AIDS while at the same time it shines a light on the restaurants in the community," Allen said.

Local restaurants that have agreed to participate are The Fieldstone Grill, Oakwood Bistro, Old Burdick's in the Holiday Inn West, Mangia Mangia, Plum Crazzy Ice Cream Parlor and all three Theo & Stacy's restaurants.

"The one thing that our parents taught us is that you have to give back to the community," said Betty Peristeridis, co-owner of the Theo & Stacy's downtown location. "When we were approached, we agreed and didn't hesitate."

CARES was unable to get 10 restaurants involved as originally planned, Bartell said, "but to my mind, we did really well with our economic scenario. We have other restaurants that said, 'Call us next year,' which is great also."